


All My Todays

by surrenderdammit



Category: Law & Order: SVU
Genre: Age Difference, Alternate Universe - Different First Meeting, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, M/M, Short One Shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-17
Updated: 2018-03-17
Packaged: 2019-04-01 12:39:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,727
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13998537
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/surrenderdammit/pseuds/surrenderdammit
Summary: Who would've thought? Rafael Barba has a Soulmate.





	All My Todays

**Author's Note:**

> The idea wouldn’t leave me alone. It's short, and I might revisit to flesh it out some more or maybe write more in the 'verse, idk.
> 
> I took the years for Sonny and Rafael's DOB from their actors, but changed the date slightly for Sonny (it just feels skeevy to draw too much from the actors lol).
> 
> Anyway, English isn't my first language so please excuse any typos/grammatical errors. Thanks!
> 
> Oh, ps. When you get to Sonny, imagine early 2000s wonderful fashion. I'm thinking Backstreet Boys, Westlife. All those goodies ;D

oOo

 

Rafael wakes up to the screeching sound of his alarm with a tortured groan and a fiery wish to ban mornings from existence. It’s with a tremendous amount of effort that he rolls over to fumble for the alarm on the nightstand in order to silence the chorus of angry beeps playing at the highest volume.

“Fuck,” he groans as he sits up, eyes bleary and mouth tasting of death. He needs coffee, and he thanks his foresight that he bought four new bags of the good stuff on his way home yesterday, because there hadn’t been anything left the previous morning. He does not want to live through another morning without his first dose of caffeine.

He gets up and stumbles to the kitchen, takes out his favorite mug and starts prepping his coffee machine, feeling slightly cheered at the thought of that sweet, black ambrosia.

But he opens the tin he refilled last night and---it’s empty.

“No,” he says with a frown, putting the tin down and ruffling through the cupboard where he put away the extra coffee he’d bought. “No, no, no.”

It’s not there.

It’s not in any of his other cupboards either. Not the fridge, the freezer, the oven.

Either he hallucinated standing in line at a 24/7 convenience store at 9pm with an armful of bags of ground coffee for half an hour because the old lady in front of him kept insisting her credit card was valid and she had enough money so could she please see the manager, _or_ \---

Fuck. Rafael jogs into his living room and put on the TV, flipping to a random news channel.

“Oh no, no eso,” Rafael groans as he puts his face in his hands. “Why today of all fucking days.”

It’s March 15, 2001. It’s Thursday.

_Again._

 

oOo

 

His boss takes the news with a hint of glee. “I trust you’ll use this to our advantage. You said you won the case in court today? Well, win it again. Keep at it. I don’t want _the_ Day to be the one time you let us down.”

Resigned to repeat this conversation as needed for the foreseeable future, Rafael nods his agreement and chooses to be bitterly grateful that he’s at least been relieved of any other obligations but court for this Day so he can search for _them._

Goddamned Time Loops. Why weren’t there more convenient ways to find one’s soulmate? Ones that doesn’t involve reliving the Day they could’ve met until they do.

At least he’s not alone in this. Somewhere, his soulmate is going through the same thing. And who knows how many more are stuck in Today, on the same quest?

Straightening up, Rafael throws his shoulders back and gets to it. No need to dawdle. Somewhere Today, he ran into his Soulmate. Not necessarily physically, but they’ve been close enough to have been given an opportunity to meet. One choice or another made on either part resulted in an opportunity lost. The Loop was there to fix it.

Now armed with a large sized black coffee to go, still hot even after the meeting with his boss, Rafael allows himself to feel a slight bit of anticipation.

Who would've thought? Rafael Barba has a Soulmate.

 

oOo

 

Turns out this is a lot harder than expected.

Rafael wakes up for a fourth time, still in Today. He keeps buying coffee to restock at the end of Today in the vain hope that soon, he’ll wake up and be able to make himself a cup of goddamn coffee. No such luck.

He’s talked to the lady in the convenience store who he’d pointedly chosen to ignore that first night. It’s not her, thank God. He’s kept his eyes open and approached any person he would’ve otherwise ignored on Today’s schedule. Given that he was in court Today, that is an intimidatingly large amount of people. At least he can seed out all the people he’s met before; certain judges, lawyers, a select few courthouse staff.

At least he’d tackled the trickiest bits on his first go; the jury and opposing counsel, including friends and family of the prosecuted. That had been an interesting recess, for sure. It also almost lost him the case, but he’d somehow known it wouldn’t have mattered.

Still, he’s _so sure_ there is something about being in court Today. His person should be there, somewhere.

So for the fourth time, he gets up and starts Today.

 

oOo

 

“Mr Barba!” someone calls for him as he leaves court, a fourth win of the same damn case under his belt. He hurries his steps, unwilling to let some eager reporter get his claws in him when he has more important things to worry about. He’s let enough of them catch him the last three Todays in search of his soulmate, and it’s all been a bust. This one won’t be any different. All the little choices people make in the Loop, not just Rafael, affects the comings and goings of people and places. So a new face isn’t unexpected every now and then.

“Mr Barba, _please!”_ the voice persists, sounding desperate. Rafael picks up on an awful accent and rolls his eyes. _Fine._

“What?” he snaps irritably, stopping on the steps of the courthouse and turning to face the person chasing after him.

It’s a young man, tall and lanky, who skids to a stop right next to him. He looks a mess; can’t be older than eighteen, tops. Dressed like he’s auditioning for a boyband, really, especially with that hair. A high school student doing interviews for a project, perhaps? Rafael can already feel a headache growing.

“Sorry,” the kid grimaces, looking down at his feet for a moment. Gathering courage, probably, going by the blush in his cheeks. When he looks up again, Rafael is momentarily distracted by a pair of very blue, very earnest eyes.

“I missed the train the first time, so I couldn’t make it to court for the sit-in Dad promised me,” he begins, nervous and rambling. Rafael is already confused and his headache is getting worse. “I didn't think that was it the second time so I was off looking for you back at the Academy, but that was a bust. So third time’s the charm, right? I finally got here and I saw you in court and I just _knew,_ you know? My head kinda exploded and I got distracted, couldn’t seem to catch you. I tried getting your attention but you got away. I even went to your office looking for you, but you were out looking for me, I guess. So today I camped outside court, waiting for you to come out, and I finally caught you!”

The kid stops for a breath, holding out his hand, a nervous smile on his lips. “So, nice to meet you, Mr Barba. I’m Sonny, your soulmate!”

Rafael stares, completely floored. The pulsing in his head suddenly makes sense. It’s not a headache in the traditional sense; it’s a bond forming on his end. Apparently, it's already formed on... _Sonny’s_...end last Today.

Dios mio. He is bonding to a _child._

“Give me your wallet,” Rafael demands with a raspy voice, shocked and horrified at the way the kid’s dimples makes his heart trip all over itself.

“Errr---,” Sonny, _the kid,_ stutters as his smile dims in confusion.

“ _Now_ ,” Rafael snaps with as much authority he can muster, and it’s as if he’s cracked a whip: Sonny jumps to comply. Out of his back pocket, he fishes up a beat-up wallet made out of some sort of stiff textile and hold it out. Rafael snatches it away and opens it, looking for any kind of ID. He find the kid’s driver’s licence and breathes out a sigh of relief.

“Dominick Carisi Jr., February 19, 1980,” Rafael murmurs to himself, appeased. Twenty-one is better than seventeen, though still not ideal. Rafael hasn’t felt old, despite having turned thirty last year, but right now he might as well be ancient.

“Oh, uh, I’ve been told I look younger than I am. It’s a pain when I get carded, they always assume my ID is fake,” Sonny, or Dominick, complains with a rueful, dimpled smile. Rafael gives him his wallet back and clears his throat, suddenly at a loss.

What the hell do you even do when you’ve finally found your person, your soulmate?

Introduce yourself, clearly, as Dominick had already done.

“Rafael Barba,” he says, hand out, though evidently the kid - young man - already knew. Rafael should’ve known his soulmate would be better at this than he was. “Nice to meet you, too.”

Dominick’s smile explodes into something bright and eager, eyes squinting and dimples at full force. It’s impossible not to respond, especially with how it soothes the bond aa it slowly settles, and Rafael finds himself smiling softly as they touch for the first time: a firm, and lingering, handshake. It’s electric, sends shivers down his spine, and Rafael can’t help but imagine what it’ll feel like to touch elsewhere, everywhere.

“Do you have any plans for the rest of our last Today, Mr Barba?” Dominick blurts out as soon as Rafael reluctantly lets go of his hand. Sonny flushes a bright red and laughs self-consciously. “Sorry, that was stupid, I just---"

“---it’s fine,” Rafael interrupts. “My plans for all Todays have included you, Dominick. Now isn’t any different. Let me buy you a coffee, and we’ll talk. And call me Rafael, please.”

Dominick lights up, and smiles shyly at the offer. “Thanks, Rafael, that sounds awesome. But would you call me Sonny? Just, my dad’s Dominick and Dom, it just sounds wrong to me.”

Rafael refrains from grimacing at the childish nickname his soulmate had introduced himself as. He doesn’t really need a reminder of his youth, but then again, it can’t hurt to indulge him.

“All right, Sonny,” Rafael concedes, eying Sonny’s pleased smile with interest. He’s an attractive young man, and Rafael looks forward to getting to know him. Filled with anticipation, he gestures for Sonny to follow, putting his hand on the small of his back to guide him down the stairs.

He makes a mental note to buy coffee again tonight. He won’t wake up coffee-less another morning in a row, goddamnit.

 

oOo

 

**Author's Note:**

> So in my headcanon for this, Sonny is attending the police academy on his way to become a cop. Barba is working as a lawyer in Brooklyn (he's not an ADA yet, but he's in criminal law). Sonny's dad is a cop who knows Sonny's really interested in law and wants to go to observe a proper trial, so he calls in a favour from someone he knows in Brooklyn to have Sonny attend (if I remember correctly, court cases can be open to public in the US?). 
> 
> Anyway, I took two tropes - Soulmate au and Time loops - and smushed then together. Then this happened. I'm sorry lol.
> 
> Find me on tumblr as hereinlimbo!
> 
> Comments are love :D


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